[Sam]'s Japan trip (Kobe/Miyajima/Hiroshima/Osaka/Takayama/Kyoto)

[samtcy]

191) 1 of the many shops that sells hida beef meals


192)


193) Tastes like "muah chee" dipped in soya sauce to me.


194)


195) Morning market bazaar next to the river

 

[jamestan75]

The Ramen Museum is at the suburbs of Osaka. Within 5mins walking distance south from the Ikeda station.
There is a map at the Ikeda station where you can see where it is exactly.
See link: http://www.nissin-noodles.com/english.htm
Go to Umeda station (Hankyu Takarazuka local line) which is located next to Osaka station and take a 25min direct train ride to Ikeda station. 1 way trip costs 260yen.

Which part of Japan are you going?

thanks for the info. by the way, can we use JR Rail pass from osaka station to Ikeda station?

I will be planning to go osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Kyoto.

 

[samtcy]

thanks for the info. by the way, can we use JR Rail pass from osaka station to Ikeda station?

I will be planning to go osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Kyoto.

No, you cannot use JR pass for Umeda station to Ikeda station (Umeda station is just next to Osaka station) because it is not a JR line. It is operated by Hankyu line. Anyway the 1way fare is just 260yen so it's not that bad.

Miyajima is a nice leisurely place, esp if you stay in one of the ryokans on the island itself. You can use JR pass for the ferry between Miyajimaguchi and Miyajima. There's 2 ferry operators side-by-side at Miyajimaguchi, just make sure you go to the JR operated one. The low tides (so that you can walk out to the gate itself) was around 7am and 7pm back in July when I was there. It usually lasts about 1hr. So you might want to take the timing into consideration. The time for the low tides will be posted at the tourist information counter at the Ferry Terminal once you arrive at Miyajima.

For Kyoto, I love Fushimi Inari shrine (lovely photo opportunities with the many red gates), Kiyomizudera (very nice place to go during autumn when the trees around it turns red), and Arashiyama (must try the "Scenic train" if you go Arashiyama). Let me know if you need more info for any of these places.

 

[samtcy]

196) Preservation zone


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198) Most places (major train stations, museums, places of interests, airports..etc) in Japan you will find a stand with a special ink stamp to chop on a piece of paper which you can bring home as a momento.


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There's usually much more people around here after 10am since that's the time where the 1st train of the day arrives from Nagoya to Takayama bringing along most of the tourists. If you want to take photos of the area with less people, go before 9am (which means you will have to stayover at Takayama the night before).

 

[samtcy]

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[samtcy]

206)


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209) The famous bridge in Takayama


210)

 

[samtcy]

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215) dispensing machine selling fish baits

 

[samtcy]

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[rosewood1969]

Hi Sam,
enjoyed ur shots being a japan lover too!

 

[samtcy]

Hi Sam,
enjoyed ur shots being a japan lover too!

Thanks...I still have 4 more days' worth of pics to upload. Going to take my own sweet time since I'm kinda in the midst of planning my Nov trip as well.

 

[samtcy]

221)


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224) Rice, egg, and some gravy...


225) The room we stayed at.

 

[samtcy]

226) Hotel dinner - Hida Beef


227)


228) We went for a stroll after dinner...the old street was so dark. Had to boost my ISO to 5000 for these.


229)


230) Many bicycles parked outside a pub.



---End of Day 5, Takayama. Coming up next, Day 6, Shirakawa-go & Takayama.

 

[Fireemblem]

Just curious, is Shirakawa-go dark enough to see celestial objects like the milky way etc. I am still considering whether to go there in my upcoming trip

 

[samtcy]

Just curious, is Shirakawa-go dark enough to see celestial objects like the milky way etc. I am still considering whether to go there in my upcoming trip

Erm, sorry I'm not too sure. I only went Shirakawa-go in the daytime.

 

[Fireemblem]

ah ok. Thanks anyway

 

[samtcy]

Day 6: Takayama & Shirakawa-go
Shirakawa-go is one of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The village is located about 50mins bus ride from Takayama. (4300yen per pax for 2way bus ticket)

0700: breakfast at hotel
0800-0920: walked around old town + morning markets
0950-1040: bus ride from Takayama to Shirakawa-go
1040-1400: Shirakawa-go
1400-1450: bus ride from Shirakawa-go back to Takayama
1500-1545: lunch at a shop opposite Takayama station
1600-1900: replenished snacks from convenience store. Headed back to hotel for onsen.
1900-2030: dinner at hotel

231) 1 of the 2 Morning Markets. This is the one next to the river.


232) Empty streets at old town. Taken around morning 8plus before the crowds of tourists starts arriving after 9am plus.


233)


234) Clear drain water. I saw a Japanese guy use it to wash his hands. haha.


235)

 

[samtcy]

236) The drinks are surprisingly cold without having to use any ice.


237) cigarette dispensing machine


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240)

 

[jamestan75]

No, you cannot use JR pass for Umeda station to Ikeda station (Umeda station is just next to Osaka station) because it is not a JR line. It is operated by Hankyu line. Anyway the 1way fare is just 260yen so it's not that bad.

Miyajima is a nice leisurely place, esp if you stay in one of the ryokans on the island itself. You can use JR pass for the ferry between Miyajimaguchi and Miyajima. There's 2 ferry operators side-by-side at Miyajimaguchi, just make sure you go to the JR operated one. The low tides (so that you can walk out to the gate itself) was around 7am and 7pm back in July when I was there. It usually lasts about 1hr. So you might want to take the timing into consideration. The time for the low tides will be posted at the tourist information counter at the Ferry Terminal once you arrive at Miyajima.

For Kyoto, I love Fushimi Inari shrine (lovely photo opportunities with the many red gates), Kiyomizudera (very nice place to go during autumn when the trees around it turns red), and Arashiyama (must try the "Scenic train" if you go Arashiyama). Let me know if you need more info for any of these places.

thanks, great info.

planning to stay at Hiroshima and spent a day trip to Miyajima including the ropeway, will that be too rush?. Guess it will be too early for me to catch the low tides in the morning, will see the low tides at night. By the way, how long is the ferry to Miyajima?
Where to take ferry from Hiroshima?

Arashiyama is part of our plan too, will spent 1 day there. Must we pre book the scenic train before we go?

is half day trip to Fushimi Inari shrine enough? Heard there is alot of mosquito, is that true?

 

[KYFoong]

Thanks for those good reminders of the beauty on Japan, Samtcy. My wife and I took a bullet train from Kyoto to Yonago in our last trip. It was raining but was worth the trip even just for a day to visit an old friend (to use the free pass of JR). Yonago is less traveled place. Unspoilt and inexpensive fresh sea food. Like eating in the good restaurant but paying little more than hawker centre prices. Fantastic scenery also... Look forward to explore this area again soon before my friend is too old (me too). Thanks for these beautifully taken pictures which mine pale far away.

 

[samtcy]

thanks, great info.

planning to stay at Hiroshima and spent a day trip to Miyajima including the ropeway, will that be too rush?. Guess it will be too early for me to catch the low tides in the morning, will see the low tides at night. By the way, how long is the ferry to Miyajima?
Where to take ferry from Hiroshima?

Arashiyama is part of our plan too, will spent 1 day there. Must we pre book the scenic train before we go?

is half day trip to Fushimi Inari shrine enough? Heard there is alot of mosquito, is that true?

If you want to visit both Hiroshima & MIyajima in 1 single day, then it will be kinda rush for you. But if you have a separate day for exploring Hiroshima, then it should be fine. You can catch the evening low tide if you want. There will still be ferry from Miyajima to Miyajimaguchi after 8pm. To be safe, check the ferry schedule before hand.

To take the ferry to Miyajima, here are the directions:
From Hiroshima train station, take the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi station (26mins journey). If you have JR pass, this will be covered. If not, then it costs 400yen.
The once you arrive at Miyajimaguchi train station, just walk to the ferry terminal (just opposite the train station, follow the crowd and you won't miss it) and take the short 15mins ferry ride to Miyajima island. There are 2 ferry operators. If you are using JR pass, make sure you are boarding the JR ferry since it will be covered by your JR pass.

Half day should be enough for the Bamboo garden in Arashiyama + Scenic train. Don't think you really need to prebook it way in advanced though.
I booked my scenic train tix once I arrived at Saga-Arashiyama station 1hr before the Scenic train's departure time.

Unless you intend to walk through the entire route at Fushimi Inari, otherwise about 2hrs here should be more than sufficient for photo-taking opportunities. I think I had 1 or 2 mosquito bites here but no biggie. Wasn't too big a deal for us back then.